Disclaimer:Sadly I don't own Indiana Jones, Marion or anyone... Maybe I will when I win the lottery.
Marion Ravenwood Jones had just finished decorating the backyard with red-white-and-blue streamers and silver stars made from tinfoil. She nodded her head in satisfaction as she went inside the house. Since it was the first year she, Indy, and Mutt were spending it as a family, she decided to throw a party for the celebration. She was wearing a pretty light blue shirt that was sleeveless and white capris. To even be in spirit she had on a headband with a red sparkle star on the side.
Out in the backyard, on the patio, Indy was pouring some charcoal into his brand-new grill that Marion and Mutt got him for Father's Day. He couldn't remember the last time he'd used one, but he thought it was similar to cooking over a fire. He then took the container of lighter fluid in his hand, not sure how much to use. He decided to just pour it lightly over the charcoal and stop when it looked ok. After he struck a match across the box, then quickly dropped it onto the charcoal it resulted in high flames and loud whoosh sound were enough to scare the day lights out of him.
"Indy, are you all right?" Marion called, sticking her head out the kitchen window.
"Yeah, Babe! Everything's under control!" Indy shouted back. Luckily she didn't look out the window at that moment.
As he untied his 'Kiss the Cook' apron and fixed his red tee shirt, he smelled the scent of fresh baked apple pie drifting out the kitchen window, so he decided to go taste one. He entered the house through the back door and looked around the kitchen. There was a bowl of potato salad on the counter, in between an apple pie and a plate of fresh brownies. Indy found he was unable to resist the temptation of the pie and brownies. Lucky for him, Marion was currently occupied with the Lemonade, so he decided to use that to his advantage. But right as he was about to grab one, she turned around and caught him red handed.
"Indiana Jones!" she yelled at him.
"Come on, Marion, it's only one brownie," Indy reasoned.
"We have to wait for our friends and our son." Marion insisted. 'Men.' She thought to herself.
Marion had invited their friend, Harold Oxley, to the barbecue. He was doing well after their adventure to Akator and Indy and Marion's wedding. Indy's old friend from Egypt, Sallah, had always been interested in American Independence Day celebration, so Indy had decided to let him in on the fun too. Finally Indy called up his old sidekick Shorty, to come celebrate with them. He told Indy out of old ways 'okie dokie, Docta Jones. Better be no monkey brains for dessert.'
"You oughta know better than to leave these sitting around," said Indy, "Mutt's liable come along and eat the whole plate." (Sometimes, he thought the kid had a bottomless pit in place of a stomach). Indy suddenly realized he hadn't seen his son that day. "By the way, where is he, still sleeping?"
Marion shook her head. "I sent him to the store to get a watermelon and some ice cream."
"How the hell is he gonna get a watermelon home?" Indy wanted to know. He easily pictured Mutt strapping the watermelon to the back of his motorcycle, knowing him. Then have it slip off somehow and splatter all over the road.
"He'll figure out some way. He is your son," said Marion. She hoped Mutt wouldn't do something stupid that could get him in trouble on the holiday.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"I got it," said Indy.
He walked out of the kitchen and into the entrance hall. Through the window, he saw a yellow taxi waiting in front of the house. Indy opened the front door and grinned at the large person standing on his front porch. Sallah's hair and beard were definitely grayer and his face sported more and deeper lines than the last time they were together, but if you subtracted that change, he was his usual jolly self.
"Indy!" Sallah shouted delightedly, embracing his old friend before Indy could even say hello.
When he let go, Indy noticed a couple of suitcases sitting on the porch. He picked them up and brought them inside. Indy then looked at his friend's attire: a shirt with stars and stripes on it, a pair of Bermuda shorts, and leather sandals. This outfit was definitely strange for Sallah, but Indy guessed he was trying to blend in with the locals.
"I am so pleased you have invited me to your home," Sallah was saying. "It has been far too long, my friend, far too long."
"It sure has, Sallah," Indy agreed.
"Where are Marion and little Indy at?" Sallah asked.
"She's in the kitchen and little me went on an adventure to the store to rescue ice cream and watermelon ." Indy replied as he showed Sallah the way to the kitchen. "Here she is. The beautiful and wonderful, Mrs. Marion Jones."
"It's nice to see you again, Sallah." She said as her cheeks turned slightly pink. She got up to go greet him.
"It's a pleasure, Marion. Oh, the years have been kind to you; you're as beautiful as I remember." He said as he gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey! Easy Santa, that's my wife you're talking to." Indy said sarcastically.
Sallah chuckled. "Well, I would really like to thank you both for inviting me here today."
"I did a lot of cooking today, so I hope you brought an appetite." Marion said.
"When was the last time I accepted a dinner invitation without an appetite?" asked Sallah, jiggling his ample belly.
All of a sudden the doorbell rang and Indy was greeted by a hug, from a tall man wearing a New York Yankees cap.
"Short round!" He exclaimed.
"Hiah Indy!" Shorty said acting like the little boy who went with Indy to find the Sankara Stones. He was a grown man now.
Indy grabbed shorty's suitcase and then shut the door. He lead him to the kitchen to meet Marion and Sallah.
"Honey. Sallah. Meet my friend Short Round. Well, he is not short now, but in 1934 he was." He said, "Shorty, meet my lovely wife Marion and my best friend, Sallah." Gesturing to each person.
"The pleasures mine." He said kissing Marion on the hand. As he was turning around to shake Sallah's hand, Sallah pulled him into a great big bear hug. Everyone started to roar with laughter.
"Let's not kill the polite gentlemen before dinner! It took me forever to make!" Marion said jokingly while putting her arm around Indy's. "And I didn't get much help from buster over here."
"Hey, I resort that! I was sampling it to make sure it was just as perfect as you." Indy said pecking her on the cheek.
Not a moment later, Indy heard the front door open. He looked around the kitchen doorway and saw Oxley walk through the living room toward them. Oxley had his own key since he used to come over to their house before he went to Peru.
"Hey Oxley! Happy Fourth of July!" Indy said.
"Right back at you Indy and to all of you as well." He said happily as he loved the holidays.
They all decided to go outside and chat for a while since everything was done at the moment. They were catching up on what had been happening in each other's lives recently.
"Sorry to go out of place, but Marion.
What time did you send Mutt to the store?" he asked as he wanted to know what the heck was taking his son so long.
"Around 12, I think." Marion replied. It was around 2 in the afternoon. What would be taking him so long?
"Is he back yet?"
"No."
Indy glanced at the watch on his wrist. He got up to check on the grill to see if it was hot enough. "He's been gone for two hours. What the hell's happened, he got lost in the supermarket?"
"Ha! He probably went on an adventure like you," Marion reasoned.
As the grill was hot enough, Indy set a hot dog on the grill. It made the sizzling noise everyone's stomach loves to hear. He started to cook a few more hamburgers and hot dogs.
She was just about to go into the house to grab the food when she heard the loud engine roar coming from the driveway, a sound that would be made by her son's motorcycle.
A few minutes later, Mutt entered the yard through the gate. Since it was summer, he wasn't wearing his trademark leather jacket. Instead, he wore a black T-shirt with the sleeves cut off to display his 'muscular' arms. He was sweating a little as he awkwardly balanced a carton of ice cream, a huge watermelon, and a rather large crate. Indy went over and helped him with the groceries and set them on the table. Mutt quickly putt the crate in the side of the house where no one would go on accident.
"And where have you been, Henry Jones III?" Marion asked, hands on her hips.
Mutt went and grabbed a cream soda out of the cooler. He drew his switchblade from his pocket, and used it to remove the cap. He sat down on the tabletop and took a long drink before answering.
"Shopping. It took me a while to get the watermelon strapped on my bike and when I hit a bump on my way home, it fell off. I had to go back to the store and by then, the ice cream was melting. I ran into a guy I knew from a school at the store and we started talking. So, I replaced the stuff and then I came straight home."
"What was in the crate, son?" Indy asked.
"Say, Pops, is dinner almost done? I'm starved."
Indy could tell when his son was trying to change the subject, so walked over to the side of the house. He crouched to examine the crate for himself. Mutt watched from the side nervously as he read the words "WARNING-EXPLOSIVES" stamped into the wood. He stood up to his full height, glaring at his son.
"You know he looks more intimidating with his 'Kiss the Cook' apron than with his hat and bullwhip." Shorty whispered to Oxley and Sallah. They were trying to hold in their laugh as best as they could.
"What the hell are these?" Indy demanded.
Mutt looked at the ground and said, "Just some fireworks."
"Fireworks are illegal in the state. Where'd you get 'em?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Some guy was selling 'em out of his truck."
"And of course, you bought them."
"Dad, it's not Fourth of July without fireworks. That's like Thanksgiving without a turkey!"
Dangerous and crazy stupid as it was, Indy found it hard to argue with that. Hardly anybody celebrated the holiday without them after the war.
Marion let out the deep sigh she'd been holding. "Henry Jones III," she repeated. "Do you have any idea how dangerous fireworks can be? I thought I raised you to be smarter. You're lucky the cops didn't catch you or you'd be in jail right now."
"Well I didn't. But I'm sorry ma'am."
"I know you are but for punishment..." She stuck her hand out. "Give me the keys."
Mutt retrieved them from with his back pocket and dropped them into his mother's hand without so much as an eye-roll. This definitely beat the other ideas she might possibly have in mind. He knew from personal experience.
"It's alright boys." Marion said telling the guys at the table. "Go have some fun while I get the stuff. Jones boys, you better behave."
"Little Indy!" roared Sallah, as he got up from the table, pulling him into a bear hug so tight Mutt thought he felt his ribs crack.
"Yep," Indy said, flipping a burger. "That's our son Mutt."
"Doctor Jones having a son!? Noooo! That's crazy!" Shorty exclaimed with a laugh.
Sallah let go of Mutt, a puzzled look on his face. "Is he named after the dog too?"
Marion chuckled coming out from the patio door carrying the freshly cut watermelon and some corn on the cob. "How do all Jones men get their names!? Yes, Mutt was his name. He was a rascal. But he's named Henry, after his father and grandfather."
"Dinner is served lady and gentlemen!" Indy called out as he put the dogs and burgers on a plate.
As they all sat down, each of the Joneses took a role in serving the meal. Marion passed out the plate of corn on the cob, while Indy handed out hot dogs and hamburgers, and Mutt went and got the watermelon and condiments. At the table it was Indy at the head, to the right Marion, to the right of her Oxley, then Mutt on the other head, right of him was Shorty, and finally Sallah who was on the left of Indy.
Once everyone was settled, it was chow down time. They told stories and favorite jokes over dinner. Laughter was always present. Afterwards, dessert was everyone stuffing themselves with pie, ice cream and brownies.
"Now I know why so many people come to this country," said Sallah, laying down his fork, "to enjoy these wonderful foods all the time."
"Glad you enjoyed it, Sallah," said Marion smiling away.
"It was very delicious Marion and Indy. Never have I tasted such a good meal." Shorty said.
"Hey no problem! We are happy for you to be with us." Indy said.
Across the table from him, Mutt was as giddy as a schoolboy. He was excited and stuffed, but there was something he really wanted to do before his parents and friends fell asleep from their old age. He wasn't sure he'd be able to, but it was worth a try. "Gramps, can I see the cabinet keys for the cabinet in the garage?"
"Why?" mumbled an equally stuffed Indy.
"I just have to grab something out of there."
Without really thinking about it, Indy tossed the keys over. Before anybody could stop him, Mutt ran inside to the garage. He quickly rushed back out and had the fireworks crate open. It wasn't long before firecrackers were popping. Bottle rockets, Catherine wheels, and Roman candles were soaring into the sky over the backyard. Shorty was pointing to his favorite ones and telling them about some they have in China. Sallah was laughing loudly and applauding, but Oxley didn't look very pleased who was praying that he wouldn't blow up his fingers. Marion was sitting behind Indy, massaging his shoulders while Indy had his back resting on her chest.
Marion watched the fireworks and was rubbing Indy's shoulders, she thought, 'I wonder if all our holidays are going to be this interesting...'
"Happy Fourth of July, my shooting star." Indy whispered into Marion's ear and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh Indy." Marion said before she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the lips. But it was quickly broken when a faulty firework came right above the heads, and smashed into the brick wall.
"MUUUTTTTTTT!" They both yelled in unison.
Hope you guys liked it! If there are any suggestions for a different holiday you would like me to do, or a different story I will try to do it! So please R+R!